One of your followers decided to go directly to GLSEN Northern Virginia's Facebook page and call us bigots. You also warned us to "stay the f*** away from your kids." I hope you have read GLSEN's mission and understand it well. I am certainly not opposed to explaining it to you.

However, let me be absolutely clear. When you called GLSEN a bigoted organization, I explained our mission to you on your advertised page. I asked that you understand our mission and mentioned that we do not discriminate against people of faith and that our board, in fact, is representative of people of multiple faiths. This clearly did not work for you so I am sorry I was not assertive enough.

If you post on a page with mostly youth followers who have experienced incredible adversity in their lives that I could not even imagine going through, and make the comments you did, you are bigoted. You are proving the point of so many others and you are the punch line of this joke. You are the source of this nation's problems. You are the problem and you are NOT the solution.

As a person of faith and as a person in general, I can only hope you understand your mistakes and I have enough optimism in me to believe that you will at some point. Let this post serve as a message and as a warning. I will "stay away from your kids" just as much as I hope you keep your hatred and bigotry away from those that I support. However, when you realize "your kids" are more progressive and understanding than you, I hope you learn from them.

Hi, I’m Hallie, the new intern for the Communications Department here at GLSEN! I’m incredibly excited to be joining such an amazing team, and I’m looking forward to connecting with all of you across the internet too!

Everyone has their own path to discovering what they are passionate about, and in many ways, I’m still at the beginning of mine. But my involvement in activism and human rights started my sophomore year of college, after I had lived with depression for many years and was finally diagnosed with an eating disorder. BED (Binge Eating Disorder) is something that many people struggle with but isn’t widely discussed. I felt a lot of shame and fear and became more depressed. By a stroke of luck (and a lot of time spent on the internet) I found the body positive feminist community. For the first time in my life, I was seeing images of people with a huge amount of diversity: size, race, gender identity, ability, and more. I started to realize that there is beauty in differences, and I didn’t have to be ashamed for not looking the way I thought I was supposed to. This mentality spread across my whole life, and I wanted to bring the acceptance of differences into the lives of as many individuals as I could reach: both those struggling with being different, and those who struggle to accept differences.

I graduated from Binghamton University last May, and while I was there I was part of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies department. This gave me the opportunity to learn from an academic standpoint about historical and global approaches to countering and embracing diversity. I am very passionate about trans rights, size acceptance, intersectionality and inclusivity among all activist and social justice circles, ensuring that minority voices within the LGBTQ+ community are heard (such as the sometimes quieter bisexual, genderqueer, or asexual voices) and in general, human rights. However, to me, the most important thing is ensuring that everyone knows they matter. As a human being, as an individual, as one’s self I just want to say: you are important. Diversity and difference are what make the world interesting!

I’m still coming to terms with my own struggles and recovery, but I believe that everyone has obstacles in their path, and in my case, those obstacles actually helped divert me onto the right path. My life has shaped me into a person who wants to be there to help others the same way others were there to help me. I hope that during my time at GLSEN I can share stories that inspire, encourage, and enlighten those who feel different or help to open the minds of those who don’t yet see the beauty of difference. GLSEN helps create safe spaces in schools and society, and I’m happy to be a part of that mission.

THE CHALLENGE: Have your GSA do a super fabulous random act of kindness.

Include as many GSA members as you can.

Coordinate something kind you can do for a person or group of people, the cooler or sweeter the better!

Do your random act of kindness!

Take a picture or Instagram video to document your act of kindness and share it using the hashtag #CaughtBeingKind.

THE WINNINGS: Each day, one registered GSA will be selected to get a gift box from GLSEN, filled with items from our GLSEN store!

THE DEADLINE: The challenge runs throughout No Name-Calling Week. We'll pick a GSA each morning beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20 and ending Friday, Jan. 23. Submissions will be accepted until 11:59PM EST Friday, Jan.23 and we will notify the winning GSAs!

Why silence? Aren’t we trying to fight against silence?

A silent demonstration can be a peaceful way to bring urgent attention to an important issue. Silence as a method of organizing is much different than silence that is coerced or forced through oppressive bullying, harassment and intimidation. A silent demonstration is active, rather than passive, and causes people to pay attention. Silent demonstrations can:

Bring attention to an issue and encourage reflection on the issue;

Simulate the how others are silenced;

Focus the attention on the issue or cause and not the protester;

Demonstrate that the demonstrators desire peaceful resolution;

Spark discussion and dialogue.

Through your active silence on the Day of Silence you will send a message that bullying and harassment faced by LGBT and ally youth affects you, your school and community. And remember, the Day of Silence is a moment to open the conversation on this issue. Follow up your participation with a Breaking the Silence event. You can plan a rally at your school, facilitate a workshop for students and teachers about LGBT issues or throw a party with your GSA or host a discussion group with DOS participants. For more info on how to organize a Breaking the Silence event, check out the Breaking the Silence info sheet.

"Why silence? Aren’t we trying to fight against silence?” Saad, a 2010-2011 GLSEN Student Ambassador, shares how silence on the Day of Silence is used as a powerful tool for direct action and social change:

Are you participating? Make sure you’re registered so that we can support you and your school. Register today and join the movement!

Today is the culmination of GLSEN's Safe Schools Advocacy Summit, a weekend of learning and lobbying in Washington, DC. Right now, more than 40 GLSEN activists are urging their representatives in Congress to make safer schools for all students. If you're sad that you can't be at the Capitol today - don't be! We've got live updates and videos to transport you from the halls of your school to the halls of power. Here's what's happened so far today:10:38 am After breakfast, Emma and César filmed a message as they got ready for their first meetings:

11:45 am Emma had a great meeting with the office of Senator Dick Durbin:

12 pm César might have been super nervous before his meeting with Senator Kay Hagan's office, but it went perfectly!

1:15 pm Emma met with the office of one of the co-sponsors of the Safe Schools Improvement Act, Senator Mark Kirk. What a great chance to say, "Thanks!"

2:30 pm That's a full day for Emma! Three meetings down, three great opportunities to discuss safer schools. Check out her video:

3 pm César is heading into his next meeting...

3:30 pm ... and leaving the meeting:

5 pm César rounded out the day with a late visit to Senator Burr's office:

The Day of Silence is approaching! On April 19, students around the world will take a vow of silence to draw attention to the bullying and harassment that too many LGBT students face each day. Student ambassador César Rodriguez created a video about why you should register. Check it out!

Early registrants will get free Day of Silence gear. Plus, everyone who registers will be sent tips and resources to help your Day of Silence activities be the best they can be! Click here to register!

As you have probably noticed, news headlines have been filled with stories of coaches and athletes talking about LGBT issues. Some stories have spotlighted brave straight allies like GLSEN supporter and star NBA player Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets. Yet, it’s still far too common to read about homophobia in Physical Education and sports, including the story about Alabama high school coach’s anti-gay rant during class. But tonight, GLSEN is part of a different and uplifting storyline about coming out in the world of sports. GLSEN partnered with USA Network’s sports drama Necessary Roughness that follows the story of one player on the New York Hawks football team coming out as gay to his fellow teammates and fans. Tonight’s episode also includes a PSA with Necessary Roughness actress Callie Thorne calling attention to GLSEN’s work to create safe and affirming Physical Education and sports environments in K-12 schools. The episodes and PSA are part of USA Network’s Characters Unite month to combat hate, intolerance and discrimination and GLSEN is a proud partner of the award-winning public service program created to address the social injustices and cultural divides still prevalent in our society. Tune in tonight at 10/9 central to watch this heartening storyline unfold. And while this story was made for TV, all of us at GLSEN are working hard to ensure that one day this may be a reality for the next generation of professional athletes.

The second annual GSA is today, February 6th, 2013!

GSA Day is a day to encourage GSAs to be visible, celebrate their successes, and raise awareness in their school about how they are an effective tool in combating hostile and unsafe learning environments for all students. Use GSA Day as a mid year reminder to students about the amazing work your club is doing at your school! Check out more resources and ideas for participation here. Are you planning on participating? Let us know in the comments below! Get connected with other GSAs around the country by participating in a LIVE Tweet chat with GLSEN, GSA Network, Campus Pride and Iowa Pride Network at 3PM PST today! Join the conversation here!